The Spare They Came Begging For novel · Chapter 10 of 32

Chapter 10: Donor Family Support

The Albright Hope Foundation had its offices on the second floor of a townhouse on Commonwealth Avenue.

I printed the tax filings at the Harbor library on Tuesday morning.

Page forty-one. Line 15. Donor family support.

I'd highlighted every year in yellow.

The receptionist knew my face.

She stood up so fast her chair rolled into the wall.

"Clare. Your mother's in the gala meeting."

"Good. I'll go in."

The conference room had a glass wall.

My mother sat at the head of a long white table with six staff members around her and seating charts spread out like a battle map.

There were mood boards on easels. Gold and cream. Photos of Verity at every age.

The young woman with the camera from the dinner was in the corner, filming the planning for the documentary.

When I opened the door, she lifted the camera, then lowered it, unsure.

"Keep it on," I said. "She'd want it."

My mother didn't stand.

She looked at my gray coat and smiled.

"Clare. Have you come to apologize to your sister?"

"I've come to ask you a question about money."

I put the printout on top of her seating chart.

Six pairs of eyes went to the yellow lines.

"Twenty-two years of payments from the foundation to you," I said. "Donor family support. Four hundred twelve thousand, eight hundred sixty dollars."

I put the invoice beside it.

Same number at the bottom.

"You billed me for my own childhood," I said. "And you'd already billed the foundation for it. What was the money for?"

A young man at the end of the table stopped typing.

My mother looked at the two pages.

She didn't blink.

"Every family we serve receives support," she said. "We were a donor family. The board approved it every year."

"I was the donor. I never saw a dollar."

"You saw a roof. Braces. Nursing school."

"I paid you rent for six years."

"You were expensive, Clare." Her voice stayed perfectly soft. "IVF is expensive. Embryo testing is expensive. Two harvests, two hospital stays. Somebody had to pay for you."

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